About Cairns History Walking Tour

Book Direct with the Owner at Cairns History Walking Tour with Australian Directory in Cairns, for all your Attraction and travel needs.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Cairns Museum, City Pl Shields St School of Arts Building, Cnr Lake and Shields Streets, Cairns, Queensland 4870 Australia

Discuss the historic meeting place for traditional owners and colonial settlers.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Cairns Art Gallery, Cnr Abbott & Shields Streets, Cairns, Queensland 4870 Australia

Discuss the Shields Street traditional aboriginal shields street art by Paul Bong as well as the gold rush and establishment of the colony. The history of the Public Curators building, now the Cairns Regional Gallery, is explored.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Cairns Esplanade Lagoon, 52 - 54 The Esplanade Opposite Mantra Esplanade, Cairns, Queensland 4870 Australia

The history of the reef and rainforest as World Heritage Sites is discussed. The history of early settlers, including pirates, is discussed.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Cairns Tourist Information Centre, Cnr Shields St, Cairns City QLD 4870, Australia

The history of early government in Cairns is discussed in front of Mulgrave Shire building, the original local government headquarters for the colony.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: The Reef Hotel Casino, 35-41 Wharf St., Cairns, Queensland 4870 Australia

The war memorial next to the Casino is visited and the role of the wars in Cairns life, especially World War 2, is explored.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: The Chambers, 21 Spence St, Cairns City QLD 4870, Australia

From this position, the historic Bolands Centre as the first department store in Cairns is discussed. The Adelaide Steamship Company and the Central Hotel are also discussed from this vantage point.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Crystal Ball Bookstore, 91 Grafton St, Cairns City QLD 4870, Australia

The Chinatown exhibit infront of the bookstore is visited to discuss the important role of the Chinese in Cairns history and the history of Grafton Street as the heart of Chinatown.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Hides Hotel Cairns, 87 Lake St, Cairns City QLD 4870, Australia

Return to location of start of tour in front of Cairns Museum. Discuss the role of the School of Arts in the founding colony. Discuss the history of Hides hotel and the role of historic hotels in early colony life. Discuss the Trocadero Dance Hall across the road from Hides and role in World War 2 life for soldiers.

Duration: 5 minutes

OPERATES

See Availability

INCLUSIONS

Tour Guide

ADDITIONAL INFO

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
COVID-19 vaccination required for guides

DEPARTURE & RETURN

Cairns Museum, Cairns School of Arts building, Cnr Lake and Shields St, 93/105 Lake St, Cairns City QLD 4870, Australia

TERMS & CONDITIONS

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

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Overall Ratings

4.6 based on 10 reviews

Reviews

Michelle H 5
04 Oct 2021
Fantastic, plethora of information, based on a broad range of factual topics from the arrival of the first aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples over 40,000 years ago, their shields with the depicted return boomerang on top. Coral reef, the environmental damage and reef conservation. Cairns heritage buildings and architecture and infamous monuments of the likes of Dr Koch who was the first to discover the link between Malaria and mosquito and patented the first treatment consisting of a mixture of quinine and diluted sulphuric acid........the list goes on.......oh, and I can't forget George Lawson, otherwise known as 'Yorkey' a bech-de-mer fisherman from you Yorkshire UK, who had his hand blown off whilst fishing with dynamite and then treated by the aforementioned Dr Koch, who amputated it and attached a hook......but the story does not end there...............
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Curious18059607897 1
28 Sep 2021
The tour guide didn’t arrive. I had to call them and they tried to say I wasn’t booked then they found the booking and said sorry they just forgot about us.
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mjl07 5
04 Sep 2021
Peter was very knowledgeable on the history of Cairns and presented it in a very interesting and entertaining manner. We look forward to doing the food tour when we are next in town.
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385meredith 5
28 Jul 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed my guided walk around the historic centre of Cairns. Peter's commentary of early adventurers and settlers, life in town and on the bay, old buildings of significance, the war years, made Cairns' past come alive. A great way to learn about this fascinating town's history.
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Sandy-Australia66 5
13 Jul 2021
Peters knowledge of the history of Cairns was fantastic. His enthusiasm kept us engaged all tour. The tour has given us a real appreciation for the history of the area and has enriched our holiday. The walk is easy and wheelchair friendly, anyone can do this tour and it’s well worth it.
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G9008TJkareno 5
08 Jul 2021
Was a great way to get a real feel for the town.... I did not know a lot about the history so enjoyed all the fun facts. Peter very interesting guy, and well informed. Also have some good tips for local bars and restaurants.
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584JanM584 5
06 Jul 2021
Definitely worth doing if you have a spare 90 minutes in Cairns. As a born and bred North Queenslander, I was surprised at how little I knew about the region’s history. Good to see how Peter also incorporates local First Australian history and landmarks in his tour.
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876joanneo 5
15 Jun 2021
Interesting, informative and guide Peter is a lovely guy to match. We would highly recommend this tour.
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Bunnytc1 5
08 Jun 2021
Loved the tour we did in mid May. Peter was very knowledgeable, I've been to Cairns before but knew very little about the history. From where the best coffee is available to colonial Cairns, Peter knew it all. Would highly recommend the tour for locals as well as tourists.
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Happiness692134 5
29 May 2021
Good overview. Nice mix of indiginous and colonial history. Memorable stories, clearly presented by Peter, it is visible how much he likes the local area.
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